Tombstone, Arizona

by By John Leach - Jun. 20, 2006 06:50 PMThe Arizona Republic

Tombstone's place in the Old West is well-known from novels and movies - the discovery of silver and resulting boom, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, larger-than-life characters like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, the bust when the mines flooded and its rebirth as "The Town Too Tough to Die."

It's also well-known for Western humor, from giving the name "Rotten Row" to the street with lawyers' offices outside the courthouse to the humorous epitaphs on the tombstones in the Boohill Cemetery to the name Tombstone Epitaph for the newspaper still published here.

Visitors today can get a taste of all of that. You can walk wooden sidewalks where Earp and his brother once patrolled the town. You can see the courtroom where outlaws were tried and sentenced to be hanged. You can drop into the Birdcage Theatre where women performed in gilded cages. And you can see a gunfight staged by local actors. You also can check out the site of Tombstone's most famous moment, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

The town's lusty early days are re-enacted annually for three days in October during the Helldorado celebration. Each month, a major event takes place that depicts the Western heritage from Earp to Vigilante Days. Every day, shootouts are staged in the O.K. Corral or on Allen Street.

The setting, however, is more like an amusement park than a national park. The buildings are well-preserved but are dominated by souvenir shops, and even the renowned Boothill Cemetery has a gift shop.

A day in Tombstone

If your time is limited, your legs are tired or you have kids in tow, take one of the guided tours. For a small fee, and a tip if you're so inclined, a guide with a horse-drawn replica stagecoach, covered wagon or buckboard will give you a quick tour of Tombstone's highlights.

It's also a good way to get an overview of the town and its history before you start exploring on foot. A walking tour will take an hour or two, depending on how many stops and how long you take to absorb the town's history.

Start by walking down Allen Street. Signs mark the many historic buildings that are still standing and some that are no longer there. In its Wild West days, Tombstone had its share of saloons, dancehalls, hotels and bordellos for the entertainment of hardworking miners and cowboys.

At the east end of Allen Street, at Sixth Street, you'll find the historic Birdcage Theatre, which was hailed as the wickedest nightspot between New Orleans and San Francisco during its heydey in the 1880s. The theater was named for 14 bird cages suspended from the ceiling and used by prostitutes to ply their trade, as "A Bird in a Gilded Cage." It still bears 140 bullet holes from 16 gunfights.

As you walk west on Allen Street, you'll see a hanging tree used for the execution of wrongdoers and the offices of the Tombstone Epitaph newspaper, which has been published since 1880. You'll also pass numerous historic buildings; watch for plaques marking them.

At the west end of Allen Street, you'll find the O.K. Corral, and a block to the south you'll find the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park.

Visit the courthouse first to learn about Tombstone's history. It's at the corner of Second Street and Toughnut Street.

The first room to the right is a "must" because it tells about early settlers and the Apache wars and gives the two prevailing accounts of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral (eyewitnesses differ on details). Be sure to check the maps of the gunfight. Other rooms tell about the Faro card game that was popular (and lucrative) for the gambling houses and hold a buggy and other gear from the late 1800s.

Upstairs you'll find the courtroom where Clanton Gang members and others were tried. The courtroom's biggest trial, however, was not for an outlaw but for one of the leaders of the Bisbee Deportation, a historic labor dispute.

Toughnut, the street that runs in front of the courthouse, used to be called Rotten Row for the lawyers who had their offices along the street.

From there you can head to the privately owned O.K. Corral, which charges a fee to step into the corral and get its account of the gunfight. Or you can walk a block north on Third Street, turn the corner onto Fremont Street (Arizona 80) and stand in the same spot where the Clanton Gang fell to gunfire from Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Morgan Earp and Virgil Earp on Oct. 26, 1881.

You won't find signs or explanations there, but look for the Fly Photo Shop. One of the ironies of the gunfight is that it occurred right outside the shop of one of the West's best-known photojournalists. Cameras at the time wouldn't have been able to capture the action.

The gunfight wasn't something rare, or even unusual, for Tombstone and other Old West towns. It gained prominence because a writer was waiting for a stagecoach when it happened and filed an account by telegraph for East Coast newspapers.

As your last stop in your walking tour, stand on Allen Street and think for a minute about the mine shafts a few hundred feet below you, which produced millions of dollars worth of ore before a fire in 1886 destroyed the pumps that had kept them dry and they were flooded with water, ending Tombstone's boom.

Another highlight, the Boothill Cemetery, is on the edge of town, a short drive from Allen Street. You have to pass through a gift shop to get into the cemetery, but there is no fee (a donation is requested).

If your time is limited, you'll want to go first to the gravesite for the Clanton gang from the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It's to the right as you leave the gift shop. Wyatt Earp and Masterson aren't buried here; Earp died in California and Masterson in Colorado.

As you walk through the cemetery, take time to read the tombstones, which offer a blend of sad tales and funny ones. You'll find tombstones with "Murdered," "Hanged" and "Drowned." You'll also find a tombstone with "Here lies Lester Moore, Four slugs from a .44, No Les, no more."

Tombstone has been the subject of numerous movies since 1932, notably "Tombstone" starring Kurt Russell in 1993 and "Wyatt Earp" starring Kevin Costner in 1994.

Where to stay: Tombstone has a number of chain motels and a few bed-and-breakfast establishments.

History

Tombstone was founded in 1879. A year earlier, Ed Schiefflin, who had set out prospecting in 1877 after finishing a hitch in the U.S. Calvary at nearby Ft. Huachuca, discovered thick shelves of silver in the middle of the San Pedro Valley.

Schiefflin named his claim Tombstone because cavalry officers had warned him that his prospecting would earn him only a tombstone, and he picked up the nickname "The Lucky Cuss." Schiefflin and his partners sold their Contention Claim for $110,000 in 1878; the claim became the area's richest mine, producing $5 million worth of ore in five years. He sold out the rest of his claims for $300,000 in 1880.

In 1879, Allen Street lots sold for $5 each, and the town had 100 residents. Two years later, Tombstone was booming with 10,000 residents and the Crystal Palace Saloon, Bird Cage Theatre and gambling halls lining Allen Street, the 1881 gunfight at the O.K. Corral made Tombstone legendary and the two-story Schiefflin Hall was built to host live theater and the Masonic Lodge; it is believed to be the largest adobe building ever constructed in the United States.

In 1881, however, miners also struck water at 520 feet in the main shaft of the Grand Central mine. Surface pumps were installed to remove the water, but a fire in 1886 destroyed one of the pump houses. The remaining pumps were inadequate to serve the existing mines, and a major flood in 1890 followed by a fire in the remaining pump house in 1892 caused residents to virtually abandon Tombstone.

By then, $37 million worth of silver had been taken from Tombstone's mines. Tombstone, which had become the county seat in 1881, built the courthouse a year later at a cost of nearly $50,000. But the town's decline after the mines were flooded resulted in the county seat being moved to Bisbee in 1929, leaving the courthouse empty until 1955.

Tombstone was declared a national historic landmark in 1962.

Geography

Tombstone is located 4,500 feet above sea level in Arizona's southeastern corner. It sits in the Tombstone Hills of the San Pedro River Valley, surrounded by the Whetstone, Mule, Burro, Huachuca, and Dragoon Mountains.

Climate

Tombstone has a moderate four-season climate typical of Arizona's high desert. The average high year-round is 77, with an average low of 49. Tombstone gets 14 inches of precipitation.

In the summer, highs are in the low 90s and lows in the mid-60s. Bring sunscreen and a light sweater or windbreaker to be on the safe side, and drink plenty of water - the dry air can quickly dehydrate you.

During the summer monsoon from July through September, thunderstorms often come roaring in from Mexico, bringing blowing dust and heavy rain. These storms make July and August Tombstone's wettest months, with a total of nearly 7 inches of rain.

In the winter, the highs are in the 60s and lows in the mid-30s. Fall and spring are popular times for visitors, with highs in the upper 60s and lows around 40.

Some facts

Population: About 1,500.

Time zone: Mountain Standard Time year-round. Daylight Saving Time not observed.